Our Story

Gold Collective was founded in 2017 by Cherie Slane, a magazine brand and advertising veteran based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

For more than twenty years, Cherie has helped a wide variety of clients, particularly in the lifestyle category, with media sponsorships, event strategy, industry networking, digital and social media strategy, and creative partnerships.

Her career includes senior business development and account management positions with luxury publications including ARTnews, FreeEye photography quarterly, 7×7, California Home & Design, Surface, San Francisco magazine, Modern Luxury Silicon Valley, and Modern Luxury Interiors California.

Her passion for developing strength within the local business community is evident in every aspect of Gold Collective, from the outstanding caliber of its members to the design aesthetic of the Member Directory.

One of Cherie’s influences is her grandfather, Jerry Cook. He owned the meat counter within Valley Pride Market at 470 Castro Street in the 1960s and early 1970s and then sold his business to open Jerry’s Meats & Deli in Mill Valley in 1972. He sold Jerry’s to Whole Foods in 1991, which is still at the same Miller Avenue location in Mill Valley.

The store in Mill Valley was truly a family business—there was a commercial-grade kitchen in the back, and Cherie’s grandmother Catherine made most of the food available in the deli, from the ever-popular potato salad to the chocolate chip cookies. Cherie’s mother and three aunts handled bookkeeping and other aspects of the business, and Cherie worked there during the summer when she was in high school.